Meghan O’Keefe

LIS 770 99

Professor Walter

August 17, 2017

Issue Paper: Advocacy, Legislation & Issues

Advocacy is always a necessary part of managing libraries. As technology and

digital resources continue to advance, libraries are expected to offer more to their

patrons and have staff able to assist with a wide range of technology. Being able to offer

these resources and services requires higher costs to be able to pay subscription fees,

acquire devices, and hire and train staff. While these costs are rising, most library

budgets are stagnant or shrinking. Advocacy is necessary to ensuring libraries

functioning successfully.

Threats to library funding has become even more prevalent in today’s current

political climate.

“President Trump’s FY18 federal budget request...is bad news for libraries.

It proposes to cut nearly all funding from not only the Institute of Museum

and Library Services (IMLS), which gets a little wind-down money, but also

from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the

Humanities, and Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as well as the

National Library of Medicine, National Telecommunication and Information

Administration, Federal Communications Commission, Department of

 Education, and National Archives and Records Administration” (Schwartz,

2017).

As this is still only the proposed budget, libraries and professional organizations have

launched a multitude of efforts to advocate for libraries and stop this from coming to

fruition.

The American Library Association (ALA) is responding with a large scale Fight for

Libraries! campaign to push back against these budget cuts. Their main push is to

encourage and assist people with contacting their legislative representatives to voice

their support of the Library Services and Technology Act and federal funding for libraries.

Along with helping people find their representatives for this purpose, they also provide

campaign tools. This toolkit provides further tips, talking points, and materials to make

advocacy convenient and help users advocate effectively. Some of the suggestions

include inviting Congress members to libraries, using social media to promote the cause,

and users sharing their stories about the impact of libraries in their lives. It also provides

postcards, tips for effective writing, activism event information, and further advocacy

resources.

Most other large professional organization assist members with advocacy as well.

The Public Library Association has many initiatives and resources geared to public

library advocacy. These focus on things like training members to improve advocacy

skills, offering tools for libraries to be able to measure usage and impact metrics to

demonstrate their contribution and necessity to the community, and helping public

libraries acquire the funding needed for library development and improvement. The
American Association of School Librarians advocacy resources and efforts focus on

funding efforts as well as programming protections, intellectual freedom, and legislation.

These are provided through their Advocacy and Legislation Coalition, professional

development, toolkits for advocacy ease and research support, and prepared materials

to assist with promotional materials, positions statements, action briefs, and Common

Core issues. Additional organizations centered around libraries with more specific library

focuses and more localized states and regions typically provide advocacy assistance as

well.

Along with campaign drives, research, and materials, a huge part of advocacy

involves focusing on maintaining and growing public support for libraries. There are

common myths frequently put forth as to the lack of need for libraries now that the

internet exists. Informing people as to all of what libraries do, how many are still served

in significant ways, their impact and benefit for communities, and why this requires

certain levels of funding makes a large difference in the public demand for libraries.

Government representatives are often led by the demands and wishes of the voting

public in their decisions and funding choices, so effective advocacy requires promotional

materials and efforts to achieve this effect. The ALA is currently working towards this

with their Transform Libraries initiative. It is “designed to increase public awareness of

the value, impact, and services provided by libraries and library professionals. The

Libraries Transform campaign will ensure there is one clear, energetic voice for our

profession showcasing the transformative nature of today’s libraries and elevating the

critical role libraries play in the digital age” (Libraries Transform, 2017). Their main
publicity strategy is their “Because” campaign. This consists of a series of statements

about why libraries are important and relevant today that all start with the word

“because”. Some examples include: “Because access equals opportunity”, “Because

students can’t afford scholarly journals on a ramen noodle budget”, and “Because more

than a quarter of U.S. Households don’t have a computer with an internet connection”

(Libraries Transform, 2017). These statements are available for libraries to use on

promotional materials (either premade by Libraries Transform or to be added to

materials created at individual libraries) and listed on the website with links from each to

a web page article detailing the work and impact libraries have in relation to each

statement. They have also started an “Expert in the Library” campaign to help the public

understand and appreciate librarians. In addition to materials geared to the public, there

are also materials geared to librarians and library professionals. These include

emerging trend reports, stories from other libraries meant to inspire, and toolkits of

materials for participating libraries. This initiative has a strong social media and online

presence as well as strong professional ties through the ALA, so it is emerging as the

most prominent influencer in this regard.

Along with the efforts to raise funds for libraries and to inform the public of the

need for libraries and all the good that they do is the legislative side to advocacy. Once

again, the ALA takes the lead in this fight, but they partner with multiple other

professional organizations and outside groups in this work as well. The ALA’s Office for

Information Technology Policy (OITP) work to “secure information technology policies

that support and encourage efforts of libraries to ensure access to electronic information
resources as a means of upholding the public’s right to a free and open information

society. It works to ensure a library voice in information policy debates and to promote

full and equitable intellectual participation by the public” (Office for Information

Technology Policy, 2017). Another driving force from the ALA in regards to legislative

efforts comes from their Washington Office. They “build coalitions and partnerships with

Washington based representatives” (ALA Washington Office, 2017). This can mean

gaining access and influence with government officials overseeing policy measures that

affect libraries or outside organizations to join in the fight. The ALA also has the Office of

Government Relations. They are part of the Washington Office “charged with following

and influencing legislation, policy, and regulatory issues of importance to the library field

and its public” (Office of Government Relations, 2017). Combined, these branches of

the ALA are a powerful force at the forefront of legislative advocacy for libraries.

Currently, the main focus for all of the ALA legislative offices and the OITP in

particular is on the issue of net neutrality. Net neutrality is the concept that Internet

Service Providers (ISPs) should treat all data on the internet the same and not charge

differently for some or restrict access to any by slowing down or blocking content. The

2015 Open Internet Order required ISPs to treat all internet traffic equally, but is not in

danger of being overturned. The ALA, along with the American Association of Law

Libraries (AALL) and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), filed

comments at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “urging regulators to

maintain the strong, enforceable rules already in place” (Hines, 2017).

 Other legislative issues of import for the Office of Government Relations include

“copyright, personal privacy, public access to government information and critical

telecommunications resources, open access to research, and federal support for school

libraries and other library programs” (Office of Government Relations, 2017).

A great partner in the legislative advocacy fight is EveryLibrary, a Political Action

Committee (PAC). They work on local library ballot initiatives and “ work with local ballot

committees and PAC leaders in support of local library ballot measures, library staff and

leadership on effective Information Only campaigns, on specific state legislative

measures which impact libraries ability to act as districts, and independently to advocate

for specific library initiatives among the voting public” (EveryLibrary, 2017). As a PAC,

the organization is able to function in unique ways that libraries, library workers, and

their professional organizations would not be able to. “EveryLibrary is the first and only

national organization dedicated exclusively to political action at a local level to create,

renew, and protect public funding for libraries of all types. We provide tactical and

operational support to local voter awareness campaigns, seed and sustaining monies to

local ballot committees and PACs, as well as conducting direct voter advocacy in support

of library taxing, bonding, and referendum. Our training and coaching for library staff and

leadership in advance of an Information Only campaign is uniquely focused”

(EveryLibrary, 2017).

One other notable group advocating for libraries is the Corporate Committee for

Library Investment (CCLI). This advocacy group is “an organization of businesses of all

kinds united by the common belief that America’s libraries are business building, job
creating, workforce preparing engines of the U.S. economy in every corner of the

country” (Corporate Committee for Library Investment, 2017). It was originally created

by library vendors geared to protect libraries, their funding, and their ability to continue

growing stronger. They “work to maximize federal funding for the nation’s libraries by

educating Congress and other policymakers about the extraordinary value to businesses

and taxpayers of federal investment in America’s libraries of all kinds” (Corporate

Committee for Library Investment, 2017). They have been focusing on advocating for

the Library Services and Technology Act, the Innovative Approaches to Literacy

program, the Museum and Library Services Act, and the Institute of Museum and Library

Services funding. They also advocate for “the meaningful inclusion of libraries in

legislation authorizing funding and making appropriations for national infrastructure

investment to facilitate libraries’ construction and modernization as well as their

deployment of high speed broadband networks across the nation, particularly in rural

areas” (Mission and Objectives, 2017). They also provide additional research and

legislative information surrounding policy and regulations at state and local government

levels.

Library Advocacy is a vital component of keeping libraries strong and a huge

focus for library management. Library funding is consistently under threat of being

reduced (or not growing for years at a time) while the service and resource expectations

and costs continue to rise. The general public is often unaware of all that libraries do

and why they are so important to support, with many even questioning their necessity

altogether. Legislative policy changes can dramatically affect ways in which libraries and
their users are able to operate. These are all especially true in the current political

administration and climate with proposals to cut nearly all federal library funding, state

and local efforts in many areas to do the same, and struggles such as net neutrality in

danger of disappearing. While these are serious threats for libraries, library users, and

equitable information access, libraries and their allies are fighting back in impressive

ways. Libraries and library professionals (along with many allies) are working to protect

library and community interests through advocacy measures in the hopes of best serving

their communities.
Works Cited:

Advocacy. American Association of School Librarians. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy

Advocacy. Public Library Association. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/pla/leadership/advocacy

Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. American Library Association. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/home

ALA Washington Office. American Library Association. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/wo

American Library Association (2010). Library Advocate’s Handbook. Chicago, Illinois:

Office for Library Advocacy, American Library Association.

Corporate Committee for Library Investment. Retrieved from

https://www.fundlibraries.com/

EveryLibrary. Retrieved from http://everylibrary.org/

Fight for Libraries! Campaign tools. American Library Association. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advocacy-university/tools-help-make-case-federal-library-fu
nding

Hines, Shawnda. ALA argues to retain 2015 Open Internet protections with FCC
comments. ALA News. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2017/07/ala-argues-retain-2015-open-internet-p
rotections-fcc-comments

Schwartz, Meredith. Be Heard: Advocacy in Action. Library Journal. Retrieved from

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/08/advocacy/be-heard-advocacy-in-action-federal-advoc
acy/

Libraries Transform. American Library Association. Retrieved from

http://www.ilovelibraries.org/librariestransform/

Mission and Objectives. Corporate Committee for Library Investment. Retrieved from
https://www.fundlibraries.com/about/

Office of Government Relations. American Library Association. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/ogr

Office for Information Technology Policy. American Library Association. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/oitp